Singing in the dark

There was a favorite childhood booklet filled with stories of how children turned to God for comfort for all sorts of challenges they were facing.

The one that keeps coming to thought was called, "Cheerio".  It was about a family with a dear pet bird.  They loved this bird and let it fly around their house.  But one night when it was bedtime they couldn't find Cheerio anywhere.  They called, listened, searched, but no Cheerio. 

The little girl in the story was quite upset.  When her Mom came into the room to tuck her into bed for the night the little girl was crying.  Mom told the little girl that no matter if they knew where Cheerio was or not, God did.  She told her daughter that they could pray and trust that God was lovingly embracing Cheerio as much as He was holding on to them.  Mom said that God was tenderly taking care of Cheerio and they could pray to know that God was showing everyone back together.

The next morning everyone ran over to the cage to see if Cheerio had made it back to her little home,  but no Cheerio.  Before discouragement could set in and even before their next search the brother said, "Wait, I hear something." 

Everyone got very quiet.  It was Cheerio's morning song.  But it was quite faint.  They all started going towards Cheerio's sweet tune.  They ended up in the Kitchen.  One of them opened up the towel drawer and out flew Cheerio with a thread from one of the towels.  She flew to her cage and began her morning song again.  Everyone was very relived.  They realized that Cheerio had gone in to pull a thread but without knowing it someone had closed the drawer on her.

The motto of the story? No matter how dark and scary things seemed to be for Cheerio, and the rest of us, everyone can trust in God. 

When we trust in God's constant care we can see evidence of this wonderful care.  Because no matter how things seem to be difficult, scary or hard, God's light, care, abilities to protect us is always with us.  No condition is too harsh, too dark, or too hopeless that God's Laws of Love cannot get us up and out of any problem.  All we have to do is turn to God and pray/sing to Him our prayer of praise and watch for His perfect answer.

"Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."1

"When we are willing to help and to be help, divine aid is near...So, my dear ones, let us together sing the old-new song of salvation, and let our measure of time and joy be spiritual, not material."2

Let us keep praying throughout our day till the morning light reveals God's precious promises that He never leaves us in the darkness of gloom.
1 Psalms 100:2-4
2 Miscellaney 166:19

Sing a new song to God and see His Love, protection, and healing power

We are taught, "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth;" therefore rejoice in tribulation, and welcome these spiritual signs of the new birth under the law and gospel of Christ, Truth.”1

At a time when things seemed very dim and dismal, living in a basement with no job but lots of resentment, the word ‘sing’ wasn’t in my vocabulary.  To say the least I wasn’t rejoicing in this tribulation at all!  I was desperate for a sense of happiness and purpose. But I wasn’t being obedient to the realization that I needed a higher spiritual view, a “new birth under the law and gospel of Christ, Truth.” Looking everywhere in my study books, The Holy Bible and the Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, I struggled for a sense of peace, purpose and joy.

On a Wednesday evening I headed for church for the testimonial service.  A mid-week service that includes readings from the above mentioned books, as well as testimonies of healings and sharing by others of better understanding gained through their study of Christian Science. The service was on a theme of singing a new song to God.  I could truly say as I sat there that if I was ‘singing’ to God it was more mournful and whining than actual singing and rejoicing.

One of the readings was, “O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day To-day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.”2

The testimonies were uplifting, the realization of what I was doing daily, hourly, weekly wrong was pointedly pronounced in my prayerful thought.  When I left the church service I had a renewed sense of what I needed to change in my daily thoughts and activities, a renewed sense of ‘How to’ that I needed to express better and learn more about.  On the way home the road was a dark two lane road.  Singing a new song in my croaky off key voice a glimmer of hope and happiness started shining through to me.  At one point I was even loving God and giggling at myself, rejoicing in the fact that I could change my tune and be more cheerful, despite my living conditions.  As I was singing and thinking I realized, yes I was in a basement but it was filled with art, beautiful light, comfortable furniture, and it was actually a very pleasant setting.  This is a far cry from my former dismal view.

As I was singing and praising God I came to a light that was placed on a one lane bridge that was under construction.  It was dark, lonely and kind of scary sitting there at the red light all by myself out in the country.  I started singing prayerful thoughts about how I wasn’t alone but was embraced in Love, surrounded by God. Bright lights from a car coming up very fast at me caught my attention.  Their speed implied that they didn’t realize that I was stopped completely at the light.  Turning my thought to God and the song I had just been prayerfully singing, the thought came to me that I was safe, I wasn’t alone in the dark but completely in His, God’s protective arms.  It was getting to the point that I looked for exit strategies if the car got much closer at his high speed.  Just as I was about to make my move, driving my car into a ditch, the other car slammed on his breaks and stopped just short of hitting my car by a couple of feet.  Sitting there, I sang more praises to God and His protection for all of His beloved children.  Being so grateful that I didn’t have to go for the ditch, the other car didn’t have to hit me or hurt himself, that all does move in accord to God’s harmonious Being.

I’m deeply grateful for that night.  Within a few weeks a business was started, a house was purchased, and new lessons were being learned.  I can truly say that through the years sense I have gained a firmer hand on happiness, trust, love, and singing better and more consistent prayers to God.

“I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.3

Joyful hug

1 Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy page 18 lines 3-7
2 Psalms 96:1-5
3 Psalms 144: 9, 10